Sailed On Together
by klutzysunshine
Summary: Speculation for season five. Now that they have a baby on the way, Ray and Nora make one of the hardest decisions of their lives - leaving the team.


Ray and Nora didn't want to leave the Legends - the team was their family - but it was out of their hands after learning about her pregnancy. Nora and the baby's safety came first, and thus, the decision came easy. They helped with the latest crisis that needed all hands on deck and then told their family they were done time traveling. "What's happening?" asked a confused Ava after the two of them gathered everyone in one place.

"We have something to tell you," Ray explained.

"You're engaged?" Nate guessed.

"No, but close," Nora responded with a grin on her face.

"You're married?" Constantine just looked confused and nobody could blame them.

"Not quite. I'm pregnant!" Nora beamed at all of them and wasn't surprised when shrieks echoed against the walls of the Waverider.

Nate charged up to them and immediately pulled Ray in for a hug, gently dragging Nora in a minute or so later. "Congratulations, buddy. I'm so happy for you - you're going to be a dad!" Nate beamed at the two of them as they pulled away.

"Thanks. We're really happy." But Ray inhaled and exhaled a few times before dropping the next bomb on them - the only one who knew already was Sara. "But we're leaving the team."

Nate's face fell and his heart dropped to his stomach. "What?"

"We can't time travel when I'm pregnant or with a baby - it's not safe. We love all of you and really don't want to do this but we have to." She and Ray had talked about this for hours and weighed the pros and cons for a really long time before making this decision - it hadn't exactly been easy.

"It's one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make - you're our family. We want the baby to know their aunts and uncles. And of course we'll help if you need us but as of now, we're done. I'm hanging up the suit." Ray was going to miss saving the world with all of these idiots that he loved.

"We're going to miss you," Sara murmured as she wrapped her arms around Ray. It hadn't hit her yet that she and Rory were the last remaining original team members - she was sure she'd break down when that finally happened but wasn't going to think about it right now.

"Maybe we'll name the baby after you," Nora told Nate, hoping it might soften the blow.

"Maybe just the middle name." Nate wiped away from tears and hugged Ray again.

Ray squeezed his shoulder and then turned back to Nora to kiss his girlfriend, his hand wandering down to her stomach. "That's my baby in there," he whispered in awe, still having a bit of a hard time processing the news.

She giggled. "Yes, it is."

"You two make me sick," Mick grumbled. "Haircut, we'll miss ya."

"Love you too, buddy." Ray shook his head affectionately and then turned his attention back to the others, aware he and Nora weren't actually in their own little world.

"I'm going to miss my book club friend but I'm so happy for you both." Ava hugged Nora and with her friend's permission, placed her hand on her stomach. "Okay, I can't feel anything so this is just weird."

Nora laughed. "You can feel again when I'm bigger and the baby's kicking up a storm," she promised.

"I'll hold you to that - don't think I won't."

"And you can come visit once the baby's here too. Bring lots of presents," Nora teased.

"I will." Ava couldn't believe how excited she was about Nora's pregnancy (becoming an aunt was doing weird things to her brain) even as sad as she was about losing two members she loved.

"It's been a fantastic - and weird - five years with you on this team. This team's never going to be the same." Sara sighed and with tears in her eyes, kissed Ray's cheek.

"You're going to make me cry," Ray whispered, his voice cracking.

"We need to get through this without tears." Sara choked back a sob. "Fuck, it's too late."

"Guys, I cry at the drop of a hat these days and you're killing me here," Nora told them, trying desperately to halt the cryfest that was about to ensue in its tracks.

"I think it's too late for that, Nora. Sorry." Ava watched as Ray and Sara sobbed at each other.

Sure enough, it set off Nora within seconds. "Fuck you both," she wailed as she turned around in an effort to stop her own tears.

"Is this contagious? I think it's contagious." Nate choked back his own sobs in an effort to stop the inevitable and finally just gave up.

They managed to calm down and pull themselves together but it definitely wasn't effortless. "I'm coming to visit as often as I can," Sara vowed. She had a ship to run but she could do it.

"Maybe name the baby after me," Constantine tried.

"No," Nora immediately shot back, laughing at the look of mock outrage on his face. She'd miss him.

* * *

After gathering up their things and saying goodbye to the team, Ray and Nora departed the ship to head home. An exhausted Nora immediately sat down on the couch, moving over when Ray also sat down so she could lay her head on his lap. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"For the twentieth time today, I'm fine. Morning sickness isn't currently kicking my ass so that's a plus."

"Good, I'm glad." He leaned down and dropped a kiss on her head. "I love you, Nora."

"Love you too, Ray." She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have found this sweet, lovable, dork of a man.

Ray couldn't believe he had found the love of his life and was having a child with her. That was the last thing he had expected to happen but meeting Nora was one of the best things that ever happened to him.

And when Kathryn Natalie Palmer made an appearance six months later, her aunts and uncles visited as soon as possible so they could meet her. They quickly spoiled her rotten.

Ray and Nora missed the team so much they could barely stand it but parenthood kept them busy. And when the team needed them and called them into action, they jumped at the chance to help but that rarely happened. All of them were a family and they couldn't be separated for long. Kathryn even time traveled a few times herself. Ray and Nora would always have a home on the Waverider and they never once forgot it.


End file.
